On March 31, rapper Nipsey Hussle was shot and killed outside of his store Marathon Clothing in Los Angeles. Hussle, whose given name was Ermias Joseph Asghedom, was 33. On Thursday, a "celebration of life" for Hussle was held at the Staples Center in Downtown L.A., where speakers like Snoop Dogg, singer Anthony Hamilton, and Master P took the stage to honor the late star in front of a packed crowd. However, it was Hussle's girlfriend, actress Lauren London, who delivered the most emotional and heartbreaking speech to the crowd.
The love story between London and Hussle has gotten significant attention since Hussle's death. London and Hussle dated for six years and had a son, two-year-old Kross Asgehdom. In February, the pair appeared together in a spread for GQ called "California Love with Nipsey Hussle and Lauren London." The article declared the couple was "redefining what a storybook romance looks like in 2019."
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London opened her speech with a text message she wrote to Hussle, while he was sleeping next to her.
"I'm totally myself when I'm with you," she said, speaking to Hussle. "You've made me into more of a woman. You've given me the opportunity to really love a man. You've been with me when I've been sick, through all my fears. You have encouraged me and inspired me to reach higher. I've learned so much about myself with you. You've been my turn-up and my church. I wouldn't want to go through this journey with anyone but you."
London then addressed the crowd, saying that she was "never prepared" to lose Hussle.
"I had to write something because I've never felt this type of pain before," said London. "His soul was majestic. He was the strongest man that I ever knew."
She called Hussle "brilliant," adding, "He researched everything; completely self-taught and always seeking knowledge."
London also shared her sorrow over her child growing up without a father.
"My pain is for my 2-year-old, who probably won't remember how much his dad loved him," she said. "I'm so honored and blessed that I got to experience such a man."
She concluded with a message from Hussle himself, saying, "But in Hussle's words, 'The game is going to test you, never fold. What's in you, they can't take away, and he's in all of us."
On stage with London was Khalil Kimble, his daughter from a previous relationship, Emani, London's son with rapper Lil' Wayne, Kameron Carter, and daughter Kross. Carter spoke at the funeral, of a dream that he had of Hussle after his death.
"On the night of April 2, I had a dream that I was in paradise, and I was playing in the ocean water when Ermias appeared. He said, 'What up, Killa?' because that was my nickname," Carter said. "I turned around, and I held his hand, and I gave him a hug...Ermias told me what it was like in paradise."